“The Lions might not be the right team to take Haason Reddick from the Jets, but let’s evaluate a new trade proposal regardless.”
The Detroit Lions’ pass rush had an impressive Week 1 performance, registering two sacks and 27 pressures (according to Pro Football Focus), with Aidan Hutchinson leading the way (one sack, 11 pressures). Meanwhile, Marcus Davenport also played well, generating six pressures, but he is expected to miss Week 2 due to a groin injury.
Relying on Davenport to stay healthy seems risky, not necessarily because he’ll be out long with this groin issue, but because of his injury history, including last year’s ankle problem. The Lions might eventually need to explore adding another edge rusher.
The New York Jets created a dilemma by trading for Haason Reddick, who’s in the final year of his contract, without securing an extension. Reddick has yet to show up and seems committed to holding out for a while. Although the Jets would likely welcome a trade to offload the situation, it’s doubtful other teams will bite, given Reddick’s high contract demands.
However, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, teams believe the Jets will eventually move Reddick, and the Lions have been floated as a possible destination by The 33rd Team and Bleacher Report. While there was some buzz about this early in the offseason, it still seems unlikely that the Lions would seriously pursue Reddick now.
Grade the trade proposal: Lions do flimsy deal for Haason Reddick
In line with his earlier mention of the Lions as a potential destination for Reddick after Week 1, Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report presented six hypothetical trade deals for the Jets to offload him.
Here’s what Knox suggested for the Lions:
**Lions receive:** EDGE Haason Reddick
**Jets receive:** 2026 third-round pick
Knox emphasized the Lions’ current cap space and their open Super Bowl window as key reasons for pursuing Reddick. He explained:
*”The Detroit Lions’ Super Bowl window is open, and adding a pass-rusher like Reddick could significantly help them.”*
*”With $31.6 million in available cap space, the Lions can afford to make a long-term investment by acquiring Reddick.”*
Previously, the Jets had traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Eagles for Reddick, which could have been upgraded to a second-rounder if certain performance benchmarks were met (10 sacks and a 67.5% snap share, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). However, those benchmarks seem out of reach now, so Knox proposed that the Lions would return the Jets’ 2026 third-round pick.
Ultimately, the Jets have little leverage in trade discussions for Reddick. Why would the Lions or any other team offer to return the pick the Jets used to acquire him? Even league executives mentioned by Fowler doubt the Jets will receive similar value.
Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports presented a more reasonable offer, suggesting the Lions could send a 2025 fifth-round pick and James Houston to the Jets in exchange for Reddick.
But as for Knox’s new proposal involving the Lions and Reddick—you probably know where this is heading…
Be the first to comment